In a rapid follow up to the EU-hosted 2017 Our Ocean conference, and in the run-up to the COP23 Ocean Day in Bonn (11 November), the European Commission today launched a new EUR 14.5 million investment initiative to further promote sustainable blue growth across the EU.

On Sunday 14 May, hundreds of EU staff and their families gathered in Ostend, on the Belgian coast, for the first major beach clean-up organised by the European Commission to raise awareness about marine litter ahead of the international Our Ocean conference in October. EU embassies around the world will host similar events during 2017, while actions also took place yesterday in Tanzania, Mauritania, Slovenia, Spain, Poland and Italy.

European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, and Administrator Hong Wang of the Chinese State Oceanic Administration took part in the third EU-China High Level Dialogue on Ocean Affairs today.

After the United States of America and Chile, the European Union is proud to host the 4th edition of the "Our Ocean" conference, at the initiative of High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella.

In a high-level joint event with the Dutch Presidency of the Council on 24 May, EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella presented progress made and obstacles that need to be addressed in further developing a sustainable aquaculture sector in the EU.